Cloth-cutting machine.



PATENTBD DBG. 10,1907/ `(ILL.Bim-LMD. CLOTH GUTTING MACHINE,

` APPLICATION FILED JUNE 4. 1907.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

PATENTED' DEC. l0. 1907.

C.`L. BALLARD, CLOTH CUTTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 4.1907.

3 SHEETS-SHEET Z.

y PATBNTxzD DBO. 1o, '1907.' G. L. BALLARD. cLoTH CUTTING MACHINE APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 4.1907.

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f l f lliulllsllllll l 11i! l y nl: NaRRls PErERs co., wAsHmcmN, u. c.

UNTTEDl sTATEs PATENT OEEIOE.

. GEORGE LAWSON BALLARD, OF NORRISTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO WILDMAN i MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF NQRRISTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA.

CLOTH-CUTTING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 10,1907.

j To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE LAWSON BAL- LARD, citizen of the United States, residing at Norristown, Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and. useful Improvements in Cloth-Cutting Machines, of which the following is a specification. n

My invention relates to cloth cutting machines of the general type disclosed in Letters Patent of the United States, granted'to me December 5, 1905 #806311, and in an ap plication for Letters Patent of the United States filed by me February 27, 1906 #303188.

In the application referred to I disclose a guard for the knife carrying a presser foot and' adapted to be swung aside to allow access to the knife and o erating parts. In the patent referred to I disclose mechanical means for adjusting the presser foot vertically, said means comprising a manually operating device or finger wheel having a gear connection with the stem of the presser foot.

My present improvements concern a guard and presser foot support ada ted to be swung aside from in front of the knife, the swinging movement being in a horizontal plane instead of in a vertical plane and being in a direction laterally or to one side of the knife and its operating mechanism. In my present improvement also, I mount the presser foot and its manually operating means on the swinging bracket or guard so that these parts are moved laterally with the vguard or swinging bracket when this is turned aside.

My invention consists in the features andA combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims. I

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side view of the cutting apparatus with parts in section. Fig. 2 is a front view ofthe apparatus embodying my invention, and Fig. 3 is a plan view showing details of construction, parts being in section for .convenience of illustration. v

In these drawings, 1 indicates a standard extending up fromthe base 2 of the machine, and having a way or groove at its front in which the knife blade 3 is guided in its vertical reciprocating movement. The knife is connected with a driving rod 4, which in turn is connected at its upper end with a cross head 5 suitably guided in the frame or housing 6, on guide rods, a portion of which is shown at 7, the said cross head being reciproceive the front edge of the knife.

cated by a pitman 8, pivotally connected thereto and operated by a crank 9 on the shaft` 10 of a suitable motor inclosed in the housing 11.

The presser foot is shown at 12, partly embracing the knife blade and connected at its lower end with a stem 13, which stem eX- tends through bearings 14, 15, of a frame 16. This frame lies in front of the knife blade and it together with the presser foot serves as a guard for the said knife blade in protecting the operatorfrom injury. The guard frame 16 carrying the stem of the presser foot is supported pivotally to be swung in a horizontal plane laterally to one side of the apparatus, and for this purpose the said frame is connected to or formed with arms 17 inclinving slightly towards the rear and at their ends pivotally supported upon an arm or bracket 18, the base or foot 19, of which is removably attached by screws 20 to the main frame of the machine. The arms 17 lie at a slight distance apart vertically, and the boss or pivot eye of the bracket 18 lies between these arms as shown in Fig. 2, and said arms are connected by a rib or brace 21 cast therewith. It will be observed that the pivot 22, of the arms 17, lies to one side of the knife blade and a sufficient distance away therefrom` to cause the frame 16 to swing in a comparatively large arc, and the pivot being substantially in the transverse plane in which the knife lies, the resser foot will embrace the knife blade when swung into position without contact therewith and without interference. The rear face of the guard frame 16 may be grooved, as shown in Fig. 3, to rey When the guard frame is swung into position to shield the knife bladev and to hold the resser foot in proper relation to the said kni e blade it is secured in place by a spring bolt or latch 23, the stem of which, 24, is pivoted at 25 to ears 26 on the said arm 18. The'main portion 23,

l. of the spring bolt is in the form of a barrel or pression 30 to receive the end of the bolt or barrel 23, which is of substantially conical form. The parts are represented in Fig. 3 with the guard frame locked by the bolt in position to shield the knife and to hold the presser foot in proper relation thereto.

In order to gain access to the knife and the operating parts associated therewith, the holding bolt or latch is swung aside by grasping the finger piece 27, the swinging movement taking place about the pivot 25. This will free the bolt from the lug or projection 29 and the guard frame 16, together with the presser foot can then be swung aside as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3. This ligure also represents the released position of the latch bolt. It will be observed when the guard frame is swung aside it will remain in any position in which it is placed without requiring the employment of any form of friction holding device and simply a swinging movement is necessary in order to entirely remove the guard plate and the presser foot from position in front of the knife.

When the operative relation of the parts is to be resumed the swinging frame is swung in a horizontal plane from the position shown in dotted lines Fig. 3, and then the spring latch bolt is swung into proper osition so that its conical end will engage tne depression in the lug or projection 29. In order to manually operate the presser foot to secure different vertical positions thereof I provide a hand wheel 31, the hub of which is secured to a shaft 32 passing through an extension 33 of the frame or bracket 16 and having upon its inner end a toothed wheel 34, engaging the teeth 35 of the stem of the presser foot. By turning this linger wheel 31 the presser foot may be adjusted up or down. As this finger wheel and its shaft and pinion are supported on the bracket or guard frame 16 they will swing aside with the said frame to be thus out of the way. Y

In order to apply tension to the presser foot I employ a spring 36 surrounding the presser foot stem and lying between the upper bearing or boss 15 of the frame 16, and a collar 37 adapted to be clamped by a wing nut 38 on the said stem. In adjusting the presser foot vertically the wing nut is loosened thereby allowing the presser foot stem to be adjusted freely up or down by turning the hand wheel 31 and upon the correct position being secured the wing nut is again tightened so that for the new adjustment the spring 36 will provide the necessary yielding tension for the presser foot as before. The swinging frame 16 when in position in front of the knife acts in a measure as a guide for the said knife.

I claim as my invention 1. In combination in a machine of the class described, a knife, means for moving the same, and a guard for the knife pivoted to one side of the machine, the said guard swinging in a substantially horizontal plane.

2. In combination in a machine ol' the class described, a knife, means for ojwrating the knife and a guard frame pivoted to one side of the machine to swing in a substanti ally horizontal plane, the said pivot being substantially in the same transverse plane in which the knife lies, substantially as described.

3. In combination in. a machine of the class described, a knife, means for operating the same, a frame pivoted to one side of the longitudinal axis of the machine to swing in a substantially horizontal plane and a presser foot carried by the said frame, substantially as described.

4. In combination in a machine of the class described, a knife, means for operating the knife, a frame pivoted to one side of the longitudinal axis of the 1n achine to swing in a substantially horizontal plane, a presser foot carried by the said frame and means for adjusting the said presser foot, said adjusting means being also carried by the said frame, substantially as described.

5. In combination in a machine of the class described, a knife, means for operating the same, a frame pivoted to one side ol' the longitudinal axis of the machine swinging in a substantially horizontal plane and a su iport to which the said frame is pivoted, said support being detaehably connected with the main frame of the machine substantially as described.

6. In combination in a machinel of the class described, a knife, means for operating the knife, a frame, a pivot for said frame located to one side of the longitudinal axis ol" the machine whereby the said frame will swing in a substantially horizontal plane, and a bracket extending laterally from the machine to support the saidl pivot, substai'itially as described.

7. In combination in a machine of the class described, a knife, means for oj'ierating the knife, a frame adapted to overlie the front'of the knife, an arm extending from the machine frame, a pair of arms extending from the frame first mentioned and pivotally connected with the laterally extending arm from the main frame and means :for holding the swinging frame in position over the knife,

substantially as described.

8. In combination in a machine of the class described, a knife, means vfor operating the knife, a frame arranged to overlie the knife, a pivot support for the said frame arranged to one side of the longitudinal axis of the machine whereby the said. pivoted frame will swing in a substantially horizontal plane, the said frame having arms inclining rearwardly to the pivot point, substantially as described.

9. In combination in a machine of the class described, a knife, means for driving the same, a frame pivoted to one side of the machine to swing in a substantially horizontal plane, a presser foot carried by the said swinging frame and adjusting means for the said presser footA comprising the toothed wheel engaging teeth on the stem of the presser foot a shaft connected with the said toothed wheel and means for turning the said shaft, substantially as described.

10. In combination in a machine of the class described, a knife, means for operating the same, a frame pivoted to one side of the machine for swinging in a substantially horizontal plane and comprising u per and lower bearings 14 and 15, a presser foot having its stem passing through the said bearings, a spring arranged between the said bearings, a

l collar affording a lower bearing for the spring,

said presser foot stem being adjustable through the said collar, substantially as de? scribed.

11. In combination in a machine of the class described, a knife, means for operating the same, a frame pivoted to one side of the machine for swinging in a substantially horizontal plane, and comprising upper and lower bearings 14 and 15, a presser foot havingits stem passing through the said bearings, a spring arranged between the said bearings, a

collar aording a lower bearing for the sprin said presser foot sternl being adjustab e through the said collar, and means carried by the said swinging frame whereby the stem of the presser foot may be adjusted vertically, substantially as described.-

12. In combination in a machine of the class described, a knife, means for operating the knife, a frame arranged to lie in front of the knife and having'a pivot bearing to one side of the machine whereby said frame swings in substantially a horizontal plane and a pivoted locking bolt to engage the swinging frame, substantially as descri ed.

13. In combination with the knife and its o erating mechanism, a frame to lie in front of) the knife, a pivotal support for the frame to one side of the machine and whereby said frame 'swings in a substantially horizontal plane, and locking means for the 'said frame consisting of the swinging stem, the cylinder or barrel, the nut adjustable on the stem, and the spring between the said nut and the end of the barrel, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I afIiX' my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE LAWSON BALLARD.

Witnesses:

CARRIE LANDIs, GEO. R. RALsToN. 

